I'm guessing it's a line launcher. I've seen the part that goes over the muzzle on a Mossberg 590 before.

dreamer56

June 30, 2010, 07:32 AM

dak0ta - thanks for sharing - anytime you can "ride" a military craft it is a thrill -

chicharrones

June 30, 2010, 07:49 AM

Great pics! :cool:

bannockburn

June 30, 2010, 08:09 AM

dak0ta

Great job with the photos and information provided. Reminded me of when I toured the HMCS Halifax while I was up in Toronto many years ago. Thanks for sharing.

armoredman

June 30, 2010, 09:59 AM

Nice! I saw some Canadian vessels at Esquimalt back in 89, good looking ships, good crews...and bars on board.
We never used the 5.56mm for a line thrower, though, not enough "oomph", used the M-14 instead.

Warhawk83

June 30, 2010, 10:02 AM

Great pics, must have been an awesome experience!

ArfinGreebly

June 30, 2010, 10:16 AM

In case anyone is interested, the blue-handled knife on the sailors' belts is a Swedish Mora knife, made by Frosts.

This one here, by the look of it:
http://www.ragweedforge.com/760.jpg

buck1032

June 30, 2010, 11:03 AM

I have spent a few days aboard the HMCS Vancouver back in 2001 enroute to Afganistan, working with Canadian Air Force Helo Detachement, 443 (MH) Sqn. The the ship and crew at that time was awesome, and having a Guinness with supper was even better. :) Thanks for sharing your pictures and experience.

il_10

June 30, 2010, 11:14 AM

I'm not sure those are c7s and 8s... at least not the uppers. They're a1 style uppers as far as the carry handle and sites are concerned... not too sure on the barrel and foregrip. They look more akin to m733s with longer barrels.

essayons21

June 30, 2010, 12:07 PM

That's a pretty neat buttstock configuration on that SAW. Never seen anything quite like that, although it makes a ton of sense when using the weapon in a LMG role.

dak0ta

June 30, 2010, 12:44 PM

Do you Americans get to ride on 'military' craft pretty easily? Like does the military offer frequent invitations for the civilians to come and check out their stuff?

buck1032

June 30, 2010, 01:03 PM

Not very often these days. Its mostly dependants that get to "cruise". The USN calls it a "Tiger Cruise" where family of the sailor can fly to meet the ship and ride the last few days home.

Hawthorne2k

June 30, 2010, 01:13 PM

That's really cool. One of the highlights of my childhood was firing a mag from a heavy-barrel FN C2A1 at an open house for the PPCLI and Lord Strathcona's Horse at the Currie Barracks back in the late 70's. Hopefully Canada regains some of it's proud fighting heritage, and soon.

dak0ta

June 30, 2010, 01:20 PM

Canada just upgraded their Air Force by purchasing 65 new F-35's from Lockheed Martin. Since we don't have too much funding, the F-35 is a good stealth fighter that can fulfill a multi-purpose role. A lot of our craft are multi-purpose, cause we cannot afford to specialize like the US.

Anyways, here's some videos of the CH-124 Sea King helicopter. Soon to be replaced by 2013.

Canada just upgraded their Air Force by purchasing 30 new F-35's from Lockheed Martin.

Link? I know they're a production partner and will eventually buy some, but I haven't heard anything on that yet.

Manco

June 30, 2010, 02:54 PM

Do you Americans get to ride on 'military' craft pretty easily? Like does the military offer frequent invitations for the civilians to come and check out their stuff?

Not frequently, but every so often in San Diego, for example, the general public gets to board a couple of operational ships (currently docked) to check them out. We don't generally get to go on actual rides on moving ships, however, except for the Tiger Cruises mentioned earlier. As on the HMCS Vancouver, we get to handle some of the shipboard armament, which is probably a first-time experience for many visitors regarding personal firearms.

dak0ta

June 30, 2010, 02:57 PM

The government hasn't pulled the trigger on buying a fixed amount of F-35's. The original number was 80 and it's been cut back to 65. They have helped design it but I'm pretty sure they'll go ahead with it.

Not wanting to divert the thread but besides the Mora, do the Canadian Armed Services use the D.H. Russell Boat knife? I always thought that overall, it was a very useful and practical knife design, especially its use by soldiers in the field.

dak0ta

June 30, 2010, 05:03 PM

Yes they do, I saw a few of them yesterday as well. Somebody had what looked like a Ka-bar too or Ontario knife.

Fremmer

June 30, 2010, 05:58 PM

A lot of our craft are multi-purpose, cause we cannot afford to specialize like the US.

No worries, the US can't afford it, either. 14 trillion dollar debt, you know. But we'll worry about that later and let the kids pay it back.

I wonder whether that Frost knife is standard issue, or whether they leave it up to the individual and allow different choices?

dak0ta

June 30, 2010, 08:45 PM

It seemed like whatever knife worked well was up to the sailor as I saw a variety.

dak0ta

June 30, 2010, 09:52 PM

From what I can tell, all the sailors got along, were happy, and I could feel the comraderie (sp?) between them. They were dedicated to their job and loved it.